The Bright Future
by JuliaBC
Summary: Severus picks up Ginny to go to their engagement party. Part of the Ginny/Severus at the Dance arc.


A/N: Sorry it took me so long, and that it's a bit anticlimactic! I just got busy in the past month and this slipped my mind. This is the second to last story of the Ginny and Severus at the Dance arc. I have one more planned, an epilogue. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter at all.

After all the time they had been together, and even though they had said I Love You right from the start, Severus Snape still got nervous when he dressed up to go out with Ginevra Weasley. Now his hand slipped as he tied his tie and he resisted the urge to swear. It was simply that tonight was their engagement party, and their first big reveal as being a couple to the wizarding world at large. Obviously, Ginny's family knew, and her friends and Severus's friends knew but...he tried the tie again, and again fumbled it. With a snarl he grabbed his wand and muttered the necessary spell. He did it too forcefully and it choked him. "Agh!" He shouted and pulled it off. "I'll ask Ginny to do it." He said fiercely and Apparated to her house. When he rang the doorbell, the sound of tiny footsteps came padding to the door. Soon the most entrancing sight greeted him—Elicia, Ginny's daughter. "Hello, Elicia." He said, and she beamed to see him. She was 18 months now; a full year had passed since he had first met her. With delight, he scooped her into his arms and let her kiss his cheek, a custom she had started on their second meeting.

"Sev, mummy looks boo-tea-ful." She told him, whispering in his ear.

He whispered back, "Good. How do I look?"

She wriggled to get down, and once he had placed her on the floor she took a few steps back. "Sev looks boo-tea-ful too!" She said with delight, clapping her hands.

"Wonderful. But how do you look? My goodness, Miss Elicia, you are sure to be the belle of the ball!" He said. She beamed. Indeed, she did look very cute, in a fluffy light blue dress. She clapped her hands again. "Where we going?" She asked him, reaching up to take his hand. He leaned his hand down a bit; he would pick her up but she didn't like to be picked up when she could walk.

"A party." He said, letting her lead him through the tiny apartment.

Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "with candy?"

"Of course, and fairy cakes, too."

"Eee!" She shrieked with delight, jumping around and clapping her hands. "Sev, see this." She said, running to get a drawing she had made. It was completely indistinguishable, a scribble of blue and black and green. "It's beautiful. May I keep this?"

"No." She said, grabbing it back. "This one's mine. You get the other one." She ran to get a new drawing, and this one was red and blue and green. "I will treasure it always." He said, folding it to tuck into his pocket. "Where's your mummy?"

"Through here!" She said, and dashed away again. Sev caught up to her in two steps and swung her into his arms, despite her protests. Ginny appeared in the doorway then and Severus's breath caught. She never ceased to awe him. She wore a simply, elegant long black dress, again with the long, dangly earrings she preferred. These particular ones had been a Christmas gift from him and he filled with silent pride to see her wearing them. She was now placing stiletto black high heels on her feet, with pointy toes. bringing her up to his height—almost. He still had a few inches on her. She greeted him with a warm, welcoming kiss, which Elicia covered her eyes from. Ginny giggled to see her daughter doing so. "Time to go, eh?" She said, then noticed he wasn't wearing his tie. "Why aren't you wearing your tie, darling?"

"I kept strangling myself. My mind has been too much elsewhere tonight." He pulled it from his pocket and she took it. "You'll have to put Elicia down." She said, for Elicia had placed her arms around his neck.

"Let's go down for a bit, lovely," he said, when Elicia fought him. "Don't wanna!" She said.

"Just for minute, darling," Ginny said, quickly tying the tie. "There you are. Now we can go."

Severus picked up Elicia again, and she cooed with delight. Ginny placed her arm in Severus's and they went off together into the bright future.


End file.
